[NORTH CAROLINA-PENN STATE] North Carolina coach Anson Dorrance has been candid about how much more competitive
recruiting is now in women's college soccer than in the early days of women's soccer when the Tar Heels had pretty much the pick of any player they wanted. But it isn't like Carolina lacks for talent.
Its 2012 championship team features three U.S. U-20 World Cup champions, including Crystal Dunn and Kealia Dunn,
arguably the top 1-2 combination in the country. One can only imagine what the Tar Heels would have been like if Lindsey Horan had not decided to turn pro with
Paris St. Germain. Still, Carolina's 4-1 victory over Penn State was remarkable because it won with goals from the most unusual suspects.

Defenders Hanna
Gardner and Satara Murray broke open a tight game against Penn State with second-half goals as North Carolina its 21st NCAA title with the runaway win
over the Nittany Lions in the Women's College Cup final Sunday in San Diego.

Gardner, who scored on an open header off a corner kick in the first minute of the second half, had begun the
season so low on Carolina depth chart that she did not travel with the team to Portland for the season opener.

But Gardner got her chance when senior Megan Brigman broke her leg in the Portland game. Along with fellow defender Caitlin Ball and goalkeeper Adelaide
Gay, Gardner gave UNC three walk-ons in its starting defense.

After Gardner put Carolina ahead, Murray, the College Cup's Most Outstanding Defensive Player, made it 3-1 when she
scored on an open header of her own.

What made Murray's final so amazing was that she had had never recorded a goal or an assist in any game heading into Sunday while starting for two
years.

Ohai, the College Cup's Most Outstanding Offensive Player, had given Carolina the lead in the second minute with an absolute golazo off an assist from Murray, but Penn State
equalized in the 19th minute when Taylor Schram chipped Tar Heel keeper Adelaide Gay.

Senior Ranee Premji ended her career with the fourth goal as Carolina pulled away.

If anything, the score could have been worse. UNC had substituted liberally
in both halves, and its stars remained fresh throughout the game. The Tar Heels finished with a 24-12 edge in shots.

Penn State coach Erica Walsh
said the goal at the start of the second half changed the game.

“The story of this game can be told through the timing of these goals,” Walsh said. “When you’ve
got the momentum, when the half is starting you have all these things in front of you and all of a sudden you have a ball in the back of the net, you’re constantly searching for answers.
That’s what Carolina did to us at that point. They had us searching for the next answer. Every time we tried something, Carolina came right back with something else. I think Carolina was the
better team. The scoreline indicates how the game went, and the credit goes to them today.”